Preparing our garden for summer – Top tips

Preparing our garden for summer can be enjoyable for some but for others it can seem quite a chore. With spring fastly approaching now is the time to start planning and getting our garden ready for the summer. For the past few months we have looked out at our garden and seen cold, wet, frosty wintry days so now it is time to turn our garden into somewhere we can sit and enjoy a lovely summers day.

Of course, in order to do so means lots of prep work following the winter months.

Here are our top ten ways to get our garden summer ready:

Repair work. Winter storms may have damaged/weakened fences so checks are done to see if we think they will last or need changing. Our shed is also checked.

Clearing out the guttering, a horrid job but it needs doing. Clearing out all leaves and moss. Whilst there we also do a check on the guttering and drain pipes, checking for any damage – this is done to prevent water damage caused by broken/blocked pipes.

Checks are then done on garden tools to make sure they are in good enough condition to last another summer. Some may just need a little TLC.

A rubbish clearance in then done of the garden, clearing up any leaves, litter and unwanted items from the garden.

A quick check on our pot plants/baskets to see if they survived the winter. Some may need emptying and preparing for new plants.

One thing we recently done was install a water-butt. Much better for watering our plants. Helps the environment and saves £s on the water bill.

The big wash then takes place of all garden furniture, ornaments, patio and even the BBQ.

Checks are done on lighting. In the summer months we sit outside until late into the evening so lighting is a must have. Especially mood lighting.

Garden furniture is then checked and placed in position – although since last summer we have had a garden makeover so this year will be easier once we have purchased a new set.

Once dry enough to do so – mow the lawn and treat/paint the fences.

Once all this is done and the warmer weather is in here we then start making up hanging baskets, planting and looking forward to some homegrown fruit and veg!

Old camping saucepans into bird feeder

Leaf It alone! how to keep unwanted pests out of your garden

For many people, their garden is their pride and joy. It’s just as much of a part of their home as any room and is an opportunity to express their personality and creativity. It’s also a great outlet for a lot of people to spend a little time on themselves without having to worry about all of the stress and pressures of daily life. Not only that but there are few things more enjoyable than looking out with pride at a garden that you worked hard to make beautiful. Of course, there is one thing that can take all of that enjoyment and satisfaction and ruin it in an instant: pests! Unwanted pests in your garden can make life a lot more difficult than it needs to be and do a lot of damage to your garden. Because of this, here are some of the things that you can do when pests appear in your garden.

Prevention

There are two basic types of prevention when it comes to keeping pests away from your plants: natural methods and chemical methods. When it comes to natural methods, it can sometimes be hard to distinguish between old wives tales and the stuff that actually works. You might have heard the classic technique from your parents about egg shells and snails, but you might be surprised to learn that it actually does work! Scattering broken egg shells around your plants is a pretty effective way to keeping slugs and snails away from them. Of course, this isn’t really going to work for your entire garden unless you happen to have access to hundreds of eggs! Of course, you can also find plenty of different brands of slug and snail repellent on the market if you’re more interested in being able to cover your entire garden more easily. Just be careful to choose carefully since you don’t want it having an impact on your plants.

Extermination

Sometimes you end up with pests on your plants, even with all of the preventative methods in the world. Of course, pesticides are the traditional method of choice, but they can be both expensive and a little dangerous. Fortunately, there are also plenty of natural ways to deal with pests in your garden. For one thing, you can introduce predators into your garden. If your plants are covered in greenfly then introducing ladybirds can deal with that problem surprisingly quickly. There are also the classic techniques of salt to deal with slugs as well as simply picking them up and getting rid of them by hand!

The methods that you choose to use when dealing with pests are going to depend on your garden as well as your personal feelings on the matter. Whatever you choose, make sure that you take care to protect your plants not only from pests but from your solutions as well. The last thing that you want is to spend a lot of time dealing with pests in your garden only to end up killing your beloved plants in the process.

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Top tips to save money and still have a great garden

Gardening is fast becoming a popular hobby for many people, and there is no shortage of reasons why. You get to spend time outside in the fresh air, which is incredibly good for you, and being outside can give you a sense of freedom. Plus it’s great for the whole family. However, some people can be put off from spending time in the garden thinking it can be an expensive hobby to maintain. Think constant flower buying and expensive BBQ’s. But there are many ways you can save money with your garden, and I wanted to share some of the top tips to help you do that.

Shop smart when it comes to the big investments

There are costly items when it comes to your garden. Furniture and a BBQ are some of the bigger purchases that spring to mind. However, if you shop smart, you can buy these items fairly frugally. You could consider shopping online in a garden furniture sale or perhaps hunting out discount and voucher codes for some of the leading shops. Offering discounts periodically, helping to bring the cost down on some of the more pricey items. There are plenty of ways you can get fantastic items cheaper. You just need to hunt out those bargains and have the patience to wait for the right time to buy.

Spend your time not your money

When it comes to your garden it’s more worthy of investing your time than your hard earned cash, this is because your garden needs your attention. From mowing the lawn and treating the grass to ensuring that you rid your flower beds of pesky weeds that can crop up. Spending your time can really make a huge difference.

Really consider how you want to use your garden

Knowing exactly what you want from your garden can save you a lot of time and effort. Do you want to entertain in your garden? Spend time with your family or friends? Enjoy food or just have a place to relax? All of these things can be taken into account before any money is spent.

Grow your own vegetables

Why not consider using your garden, to save you money in other areas of your life? For example, your food shopping bill. Growing your own vegetables and fruit is fast becoming a trend many people are embracing, and it could shave off a few pounds on your grocery bill. There are plenty of tutorials online with a step by step guide on how to get started. It could be something you really enjoy doing.

Look after your garden tools

Finally, garden tools like a lawn mower or some of your manual tools can be quite expensive. But if you regularly keep them clean and maintain them then they should last you a long time. Saving you more investment in the future. Simple things like cleaning them after use and keeping them dry can make all the difference.

I hope these top tips help you save money while still getting a great garden you can enjoy.

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About us

Welcome to our family blog. We are Ian & Anita from North London.
We have three teenage sons - Danny, Lee & Bradley.
We are a fun thrill-seeking family who are always planning our next family adventure together.
We all like to write on our family blog - the boy's have their own space on the blog called 'kid's corner' this is where you will find the boy's written posts.
Thank you for stopping by.